Feds Target California Voter Rolls in Non-Citizen Voting Lawsuit

Eleven days until the midterm elections and the Trump administration is raising the stakes on non-citizen voting. There will be a court hearing next week to determine next steps in the federal government's lawsuit scrutinizing California's voter rolls. California Politics 360 host Ashley Zavala joining us now with details. Ashley. Hi, Christine. That's right. Yeah, state leaders are right now, I mean, even as we speak, preparing their arguments, they're fighting, they're submitting responses to the court. all as the Trump administration has sued California, as I know you've been reporting for the last week about these alleged non-citizens that are allegedly on California's ballots, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. On the show this week, we have U.S. Senator Alex Padilla. He was also California's secretary of state before he went to the U.S. Senate. We pose a lot of the questions that we have been unable to get answers from from our current secretary of state, Shirley Weber. As I know you've reported, the L.A. registrar of voters has noted that the L.A. County registrar of voters does not have the ability to verify if citizens are on their voter rolls. I pose the same question to Senator Padilla if that's the case with California overall. We also talk about just what some of the arguments that are coming from the Trump administration when it comes to how non-citizens may be taking away the vote of one American citizen. Senator Padilla responds to that and really answers a lot of other questions related to immigration and this voter roll court fight ahead of Tuesday. All right. So the Justice Department Department of Justice said it acquired the voter rolls commercially. Can people just buy the voter rolls? That's right. In California, we're learning that there are people who can buy California's voter rolls. But there are certain limits, journalists, government agencies, as we saw with the Department of Justice, But mainly political campaigns. I mean, that's who primarily is allowed to buy this. And I don't know if you've noticed. I know here we are feeling it more and more text messages than ever are being felt in this election cycle from people who are trying to get you to vote for prop, whichever, or a political campaign. You know, your supervisor candidates, your your those people who are running for Congress, a lot of these text messages. And so there's a lot of questions about how our information is being protected, if it is. And so we sit down with Adjunct McGeorge School of Law Professor Chris McGlade. He is a longtime California Capitol observer. He answers a lot of questions about this. Who is selling it specifically? What are the limits? And what guardrails should be considered as our personal information is being sold? That's why I get so many text messages these days. All right. The governor was also out today at a Prop 50 rally. Talk about that. Yeah, that's right. Governor Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi hosted this rally really to lift up Proposition 50, which changed a bunch of congressional districts here in California. They also wanted to fight against Prop 39, the voter I.D. measure. One interesting note about this rally is that Prop 50 has no impact on San Francisco, which is where this rally was located. And also almost I mean, all but one of the Democratic candidates that are running in the districts that were targeted by Prop 50 were even there. none of them were there. They're all in their districts fighting to try to get elected. So I'm hearing from some folks in the governor's orbit that he may be doing some campaign stops in those actual districts. But look, I mean, this is a question facing the governor who's been campaigning in New Hampshire, in Nevada, in other states. You know, will he try to rally for the Democrats here at home? The governor did not take questions from reporters today who, I mean, And they had to literally jump some human hurdles, some chairs to try to get to him, to follow him. But he really wouldn't stop to say much. All right. We'll hear more from you, though. Thanks so much. Everyone can watch California Politics 360 on Fox 11 Sunday evenings at 6. East side activists are calling on residents to vote early and stand strong against what they call intimidation. A rally led by Inner City Struggle. They addressed worries over ICE raids in their communities. Activists say recent actions, including voter fraud charges against 28 people in California, aim to discourage U.S. citizens in immigrant neighborhoods from voting. Our people are being hunted down and terrorized. But rather than choosing panic and giving up, we choose power and fighting back. That is why we're encouraging Eastside residents to take advantage of early voting opportunities, including local voting centers. Early in-person voting for the November elections begin tomorrow at 123 vote centers across L.A. County, with hundreds more opening the following weekend. Find your nearest location at lavote.gov. And, of course, you could also vote right now by mail. Big ticket ballot item here in California, Prop 37. It would create a loan program to help middle-income buyers cover the down payment on new homes. But how would it work, and what are the potential risks? Laura Diaz explains. For many Californians, the biggest obstacle to buying a home isn't the monthly mortgage payment. It's coming up with tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for a down payment. Buying a home in California is just too expensive. That's why we're voting yes on Prop 37. That's where Proposition 37 comes in. The measure would create a state-backed second mortgage program for eligible homebuyers. The idea is to help qualified buyers cover part of their down payment, making it easier to purchase a home. The money wouldn't come from new taxes. Instead, California would issue bonds to finance the program. Supporters say it could help thousands of middle-class families finally become homeowners. Opponents argue the state shouldn't take on billions of dollars in additional debt and question whether the program would actually lower housing costs. So before you vote, ask yourself three questions. Who qualifies? Who pays? And could it actually make homeownership more attainable? Those are the questions you'll answer November 3rd. Laura Diaz, Fox 11 News.